


when the timing's right

by withoutwords



Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Sexual Identity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-30
Updated: 2021-01-30
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:15:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29083746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/withoutwords/pseuds/withoutwords
Summary: 5 Times Ben Seeks out Callum +1 Time Callum Seeks Him Out Instead.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Comments: 7
Kudos: 85





	when the timing's right

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I have no idea where this came from, I just felt like it I guess. I think it's a bit patchy but, still. I hope my weird mood fic is enjoyed, haha.

Ben’s only been back in town a little over a month when he sees a gorgeous stranger step into his mum’s cafe and order a coffee. Lola’s sitting across from him contemplating her breakfast, and Ben kicks at her ankles under the table. 

“Who the hell is that?” he hisses at her, motioning to the man who’s now making his mum giggle over the register. Ben grimaces with his embarrassment.

“You think I know every person in Walford or what?” Lola says, but when Ben pulls a face that mostly says  _ who are you trying to kid _ , she rolls her eyes at him. “Alright, it’s Callum Highway. And before you ask he’s straight, he used to go out with Whit.”

“Used to?”

“Yeah, they broke up. Friendly and all that, Whit just said it wasn’t working.”

Ben scoffs, getting to his feet - gulping what’s left in his cup before going over there. “Can I get a refill please, Ma?” he asks politely, sliding his eyes over to the other man who’s now waiting for his order.

He’s tall, and broad and perfectly put together in a suit that grabs at all the right places. Ben’s no wallflower, and he likes to hook up - but this bloke’s in a different league. Ben’s mouth is dry.

“Alright?” he says, grinning at the man as he offers his hand. “Ben Mitchell.”

“Oh,” the man splutters, apparently surprised that Ben is talking to him. “Callum Highway.”

“Good to meet ya. You been in Walford long?”

“Uh, well, it’s over a year now actually.”

“You don’t say?” Ben lets his eyes track up and down Callum’s figure, and he’s sure Callum notices. His cheeks turn a slighter shade of pink. “And you work here too?”

“Yeah, yeah, just started a new job actually, at the funeral home.”

“Seriously? With Jay?”

“Yeah!” Callum says with a smile, sounding genuinely excited. “You know him?”

“Know him? We’re like brothers, we grew up together.”

“Oh, wow,” before Callum can go on, Ben’s mum is clearing her throat at the register to let Callum know his coffee’s ready. When Ben turns to look at her she’s giving him that disapproving look she has perfected over the years. 

“Here you go, love,” Kathy says with a bright smile at Callum. “Enjoy.”

“Thanks, Kath,” Callum says, smiling back, blue eyes sparkling. “And hey, nice to meet you Ben. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”

“Definitely,” Ben agrees with a nod, watching Callum walk out of the cafe. “See you soon.”

*

Less than a week after meeting Callum, Ben’s already had his mum, Lola, Jay - even his own kidm Lexi - tell him to steer clear. If Ben weren’t so thick skinned, if he actually listened to what other people thought, he might be inclined to feel a little hurt. He isn’t.

“And what’re you doing here?” Jay asks when Ben comes into his office, folding his arms. “As if I didn’t know.”

“Just checking in on my brother,” Ben says with a smirk. “Also I was looking for a body. A particular body. About this tall, this wide, probably has a very big - ”

“He’s on a coffee run,” Jay interrupts loudly. “Jesus. Keep it in ya pants.”

“I have so far, and honestly that’s probably a record.”

When they hear the front door slam shut, Jay gives Ben a look and Ben throws up his hands as if he’s innocent. “Sorry that took so long,” Callum is calling out as he nears Jay’s office. “Got stuck talking to some lady called Lillian Benson, apparently you - oh.”

Callum stops in the doorway when he realises Ben’s sitting opposite Jay at the desk. The deer in the headlights look is unfortunately something that Ben finds endearing. He smiles. “Morning.”

“Hi. Sorry.” Callum rushes to go and put Jay’s drink down. “I didn’t know there was anyone else in here, I wouldn’t’ve been going on about - ”

“It’s fine,” Jay says with a wave of his hand. “Mrs. Benson talks to whoever stands still long enough to hear her life story.”

“Yeah, and I’ve heard it,” Ben adds, still grinning at Callum. “How’s it going working for this tyrant?”

“Oh, no, he ain’t,” Callum starts to say, but then realises that Ben’s just messing with him and smiles. “Yeah, yeah. It’s going good.”

Ben realises he’s been staring at Callum a little too long when Jay slurps loudly at his drink. He shakes himself out of it, sitting up in the chair. “Right, anyway. I gotta get to work.”

“Oh you do have a day job,” Jay teases, but Ben ignores him and stands to go.

“Callum, you’ll come along to the Vic on Saturday, yeah? We’re having drinks, might go into town after.”

Callum blinks. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

“Great.” Ben claps him on the shoulder, squeezing the muscle underneath. His hand comes back warm. “See you then.”

*

Ben is already an hour late for work, with half a dozen furious texts from his dad - when he sees Callum go into the store. It’s a childish thing to do (and maybe a little weird) but he can’t seem to stop himself from following him in.

They probably need some milk and tea at the garage anyway.

“Ben,” Callum says when they run into each other by the refrigerators. “Hi.”

“Oh, hi,” Ben scratches at his head, not understanding why his skin feels hot. “Just … needed some milk.”

“Right,” Callum says with a smile, his head ducking. “Bread for me.”

“Ah. The essentials.”

Ben can’t be sure when exactly he went from a grown, experienced man to a bumbling teen; but he guesses it was around the time he met Callum Highway. After they’d sat together at The Vic last weekend and chatted for hours about anything and everything - Ben was having a hard time coming to terms with the fact he wasn’t just attracted to Callum. He really liked him.

“So are you coming to Jay’s party?” Callum asks. “I’m not sure if I were invited or told.”

Ben laughs. “Yeah, that sounds like Jay. He’d have my neck if I didn’t show.”

“Great, well, that’s good I’ll have someone to talk to.”

“Seriously? I’m sure you wouldn’t have trouble finding someone to chat with, this town loves you.”

“I don’t know about that.”

“Believe me. If I even mention your name people tell me to leave you alone.”

Callum’s brow scrunches and Ben knows straight away he’s said too much. He’s  _ useless _ , since when has he been so useless? “What do    


“Oh, you know. you’re the golden boy and I’m … the opposite of that. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories.”

“No?”

Ben scoffs, trying for vaguely amused when really he’s feeling like an absolute twat. “Right, well I think you’re just being nice but hey, you’re Callum Highway so I’ll believe you.”

“Ben - ”

“I’ll see you at that party, yeah? Have a good one.”

*

Sometimes Ben used to go whole days without speaking to another living soul; part of the anonymity of big towns. In Walford you can’t even step out of your front door without seeing someone you know - and usually it’s someone you don’t want to see, too, which in Ben’s case happens a lot.

Despite that though, Ben never sees enough of Callum Highway.

“Christ, enough already,” Jay groans when he catches Ben watching Callum walk through to the bathroom.

Callum’s not there with them, sharing a table with his ex Whitney, her sister Tiff, and some bloke Ben assumes is Tiff’s boyfriend. Ben’s tried not to look over at them too much, but he doesn’t think he’s been doing a good job of hiding.

“What?” Ben says, gulping his beer.

“Just ask him out, put us all out of our misery.”

“Oh, so you’re not so sure he’s straight now?”

Jay throws a hand up, shrugging. “Either way you’ll know, won’t ya, then I won’t have to see you making eyes at him every day.”

“Shut up.”

“Just stating the facts, mate.”

“I hate you,” Ben tells him, but he’s climbing out of their booth anyway and heading for the bathroom. By the time he gets in there Callum is washing his hands; and thankfully they’re alone.

“Alright?” Callum asks with a smile when he catches sight of Ben in the mirror. 

“Hiya. Having a good night?”

“Oh yeah, just dinner out, nothing special.”

“Probably nicer than me and Jay downing pints and peanuts.”

Callum huffs a little laugh and Ben wants to reach out and touch the dip of his lip. “I guess. Well, I should…” Callum moves past Ben to leave and Ben hears himself blurt out,

“Did you wanna get dinner one night?” as he turns to face Callum. “Just you and me, I mean.”

Callum’s expression changes from moment to moment so that Ben doesn’t really have a clue what he’s thinking. He’s not altogether surprised - he wasn’t expecting Callum to do cartwheels - but he can’t hide his disappointment. 

There’s a connection here. Ben’s not imagining it.

“You mean … like a date?”

“If I’m lucky,” Ben says with a smile, trying to lighten the suddenly awkward mood. Callum’s face is getting more and more red, and if Ben weren’t feeling completely mortified he might stop to appreciate how cute it is.

“Oh. I … I mean, that’s … I’m flattered …”

“You can just say no, Callum, I won’t bite.”

Callum sighs. “Sorry. I was just surprised,” he stutters, making Ben’s brow rise to the ceiling. He doesn’t believe that for a second. 

“Really? ‘Cause just about everyone else knows I like ya.”

“Ben - ”

Ben throws his hands up. “No, no, you don’t have to say anything, really. Go enjoy ya dinner. I’ll catch you later.”

*

It’s been years since Ben’s been in any real trouble. After he was run out of town for a string of petty and pathetic crimes he realised his only real problem was Walford. At least, who he was in Walford. With an overbearing dad and a coddling mum and a sexuality that was mostly met with scorn. Well.

It didn’t do him any favours. Nor did stealing a cop car and going for a joyride before ransacking his ex-boyfriend’s flat and shagging a match from Grindr in a public side street.

That had been the last Walford saw of Ben Mitchell before he returned.

Ben’s glad Callum never saw it.

“I don’t want to interrupt,” Ben says to Callum when he sits beside him at the bar in E20. Callum hadn’t seen him, but of course Ben hadn’t missed that tall figure stroll in. He also hadn’t missed the fact that Callum was drinking spirits and looking miserable. “I just thought you might want company.”

“Not really,” Callum says with his head down.

“Well you look like shit, mate.”

“Gee, thanks Ben.”

“I’m just saying.”

“Well don’t,” Callum slurs, finally looking at Ben. His eyes are red rimmed, his lips wet. “I was fine on my own, I didn’t ask you to …”

“Alright. Just checking on a friend.”

“Friend, right. Were we even friends? Or were you just after me this whole time?”

Ben opens and closes his mouth a few times, not sure what to say. It stings a little, but Callum’s not entirely wrong. Ben was being genuine with him - the most genuine he’s been with any man, if he’s being honest. But yeah. “I’ve always wanted you.”

Callum scoffs into his glass. “Yeah.”

“But so what? It ain’t like I was gonna trick you into it. I just hoped you felt the same.”

“And you couldn’t have just asked me when we first met?”

“Well I wasn’t sure if you were …” Ben trails off. “Interested.”

Callum throws his head back to finish the rest of his drink, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He wobbles as he gets up, and when Ben grabs him he just means to steady him. Except he can’t let go. Callum’s eyes flick from Ben’s hand to his face.

“What - ”

“I don’t know what people have said to you, but this ain’t … I like you, Callum. A lot. And I thought we might’ve had something. Something good.”

“I can’t - ” Callum starts to say, weakly, the barest shake of his head. Ben squeezes a little tighter.

“When you look at me you see me, who I am. Not who I was.”

“Ben - ”

“And when I look at you I think … I think I could never have something so good. Someone so real.”

Callum’s eyes are fixed on Ben’s and he drags his bottom lip between his teeth. Is this wasn’t Callum, if things weren’t so fragile, Ben would just lean in and steal a kiss.

Instead he lets go. He lets Callum leave.

*   
  


There’s only a few minutes before closing. Ben’s got a short, stocky bloke attached to his side, grazing his teeth along Ben’s throat. Hopefully the guy has somewhere they can take this to, because Ben knows this club well and knows they’ll be kicked out on the street the minute the lights come on.

He can’t be bothered making the trip back to Walford.

“You got a place…?” Ben asks, pushing the guy off a little to ask him. The guy grins.

“Sure. I was hoping you’d ask.”

“Let’s go.”

When the night air hits him it’s cool against his face, and everything’s so still, so surreal. When he hears someone calling his name he thinks he’s imagining it at first, looking around for the familiar voice. 

“Ben,” Callum says again, but this time he’s close enough he can turn Ben around by the shoulder to face him. “I’ve been looking for you all night.”

Ben must be dreaming. “What’s going on?”

“I wanna talk.”

“Mate,” the guy from the club says, stepping between them. It’s almost funny to think he can face off with Callum, when he’s at least two heads shorter. “We’re heading out actually, so if you wouldn’t mind.”

“Oh.” Callum starts to deflate. “I didn’t - ”

“It’s fine,” Ben cuts in, putting a hand out to move the guy aside. Callum’s pink and blue from the cold and his lips are cracked and Ben would rather sit and talk to him about any topic in the world than go home with someone else. “We were done here.”

Ben thinks the man is swearing at him but he’s not really paying attention, leading Callum further down the street away from the now busying curb. “What did ya want to talk about?” he asks as they slow down, blanketed in the street light.

“Um.” Callum looks startled, despite the fact he was the one looking for Ben. “Bloody hell, I don’t even know. I just… I just needed to see you I guess.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah … I, it’s taken me a while I know but after that night at E20 … you’re all I can think about.”

“Yeah?” Ben says again, but this time there’s a hopeful lump in his throat, this time he shuffles a little closer.

“I mean, I’ve always thought about you, since I met ya. I just didn’t want to think about why, y’know?”

“Right.”

“But you were right. Whenever I was with ya I felt … it just felt right."

“Callum - ”

“And I don’t know if you’d even wanna know me any more after how I treated ya - ”

“You didn’t - ”

“But I couldn’t let things go without at least telling ya that I care about ya and I’d like to, I mean I want to try, if you want that too.”

Ben’s probably pushing it when he goes to wrap his arms around Callum’s neck and press their mouths together. He’s probably rushing things when he opens his mouth to encourage Callum to open for him, the slick of their tongues so warm as they twist together.

Except Callum groans into it, and he glides his hands around Ben’s waist to his lower back, and they stand like that just kissing, and kissing, for so long Ben loses all track of time.

“So you do want that, then," Callum says when they eventually pull apart, hands still clung to each other in the glowing dark. Ben huffs a laugh.

“Yeah. Been waiting for you," he says quietly, brushing their noses together rolling his tongue out to taste Callum on his lips. "Waiting forever."

**Author's Note:**

> thefancyspin @ tumblr


End file.
